Irreplaceable
by LostInTheDreams
Summary: Ran is forced to attend a Kid heist where things quickly turn violent. She's locked in a bathroom with Kid, who looks like Shinichi, while she and her friends are held at gunpoint by man who demands Kid come out of hiding or everyone there will die.
1. Not Again

Yeah, started another story... stupid me ^^ This one is a three parter  
and, while Kid and Ran are the main character, they aren't in love. This is **NOT a KIDXRan **story

Okay :)

STAGED AFTER THE 14th MOVIE

and thanks to Daisuke Kazamatsuri for beta reading ^^

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**Chapter 1: Not Again**

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_"Either over neither, both over either, live-and-let-live over stand-or die, high spirits over low, energy over apathy, wit over dullness, good nature over bad, feeling over sentiment... charity over murder, love over charity  
__... irreplaceable over interchangeable"_

_-__Marvin Mudric__k _

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One of Sonoko's family's jewels was being targeted again, a diamond that they had only recently purchased from the states. Her father was the one who owned the gem, so his cousin had no interest in helping protect it. Kid, after all, hadn't challenged Jirokichi, so the man felt it unfair to fight against him on a family member's behalf and not his own.

"Ran, what do you have against Kid-sama anyway? You've been lying to me. Something happened to you on the airship, didn't it?"

Ran let the light blush cross her face before glaring daggers at her closest female friend. "Of course nothing happened. It's just not normal to be following a thief around like he's a role model."

"But Kid-sama is a role model. His veiled identity, returning his prize like a gallant knight. If every guy were more like Kid-sama-" Sonoko's eyes sparkled as she thought about it.

"If every guy were like that the world would be paranoid. Anyway, why'd you invite us?"

Sonoko's expression soured. "Because you're my friend."

Ran sighed, smiling. "I know. Sorry Sonoko."

"It's all right. You're going to have to cough up the story soon or I'll drag it out of you."

Conan had come back from examining the room of the mansion's wing where Kid's next target was kept. When the boy entered, he shot Ran a worried glance. Ran sighed again. Why did everyone think something had happened between her and Kid? Something had _almost_happened, but she loved Shinichi. If she hadn't have thought, what with how long it had been since she's seen him, that Kid was her long missing friend, she never would have gotten within ten feet of him.

"Sonoko, where's the washroom?" Ran asked, hoping for an escape. Every time Conan stared at her with that lost expression she felt as if she was letting him down in some way. She knew how crazy it sounded but it didn't stop the regret from creeping up on her whenever he did.

"I don't know. Ask one of the maids, they should know."

"Go down the hallway and take the second left. It's on the right and has a wobbly handle, so be careful you don't get locked in."

"Thank you Conan-kun" Ran smiled, bending down towards the small boy. He resembled Shinichi so much sometimes that she could forget how old he was.

"You'd better hurry up." Sonoko checked her watch. "There's only ten more minutes."

"I wouldn't want to miss that, would I?" Ran strode off, blatantly stating that she would rather miss the thief's antics.

Ran didn't have to use the bathroom but she closed the door and sat the seat, wasting time before the thief came so she wouldn't have to constantly hear about him. She hadn't minded Sonoko's obsession with him before, but the Kid was high up there now on her revenge list for the dirty trick he had pulled on her. Her first experiences with Kid hadn't been pleasant, first when he knocked her out and then when he knocked out her dad. She hadn't gotten angry at him then. She hadn't even minded when she'd seen Shinichi again, though she hadn't trusted that it was him. Even now she was sure that it had been Kid, but looking at things in retrospect couldn't put someone behind bars. She bared no resentment towards him for any of that, because they were the things he needed to do. Toying with her emotions, making her think the worst of her best friend, things like that, done cruelly, were what helped her hatred along. She didn't want to hear Sonoko speak about a man like that in front of her.

Ran didn't think her ten minutes were up before she heard shouting coming from out the door. The bathroom was spacious, and she took her time exiting, staring at her reflection in the pristine mirror, rimmed in imitation - or knowing Sonoko's family - maybe real gold. The shower was off to the side, leaving at least a six by ten foot gap of free space to move around in. Their bathroom, sadly, seemed bigger than her bedroom at home, if the fixtures were removed.

While she was looking around, the lights went out. It seemed the Kid liked to use the darkness as a way to escape, so hopefully she wouldn't have to run into him.

Ran tried the handle and door didn't open. Darn it, she thought not too unhappily, now she was going to miss the action. She started towards the seat to wait out her stay, knowing Conan at least would notice she was missing after the excitement died down. Before she reached it though, she heard as someone tired to turn doorknob.

"It's broken," she told the person on the other side. She heard something scrape against the gap between the door and the frame, forcing the latch open.

A blur marred her vision in the darkness, appearing a gray color in the weak light that was entering the bathroom window from the lighting outside. It took her eyes a while to adjust, allowing her to see almost as well as she could with the light on, considering that the outside yard lights were at full power so that they could see Kid if he escaped that way. Before her the gray shaped turned into a person whose silhouette she couldn't make out as they quietly shut the door. They turned to her with a smile.

"Long time no see Ran."

The voice was all she needed to identify her intruder.

"Shin- Kid." Ran didn't hesitate to take in the shock before she grabbed onto his arm and twisted it behind his back. This was the second time she did this and the thief fell easily under her strength. The only thing different this time was he couldn't fool her. That, and for some strange reason her palm was wet where she'd grabbed him.

A hissed in breath told her that Kid was at her mercy.

"I'm not going to let you go this time."

No reply came. Either Kid was trying to think of a way to escape or he'd given up. Ran wished that the power wasn't cut so that she could see his expression. In case he was trying to escape, she reaffirmed her hold, twisting his arm more than she had to when she thought of how he'd almost made her kiss him.

A strangled noise of pain and the Kid's body tensed, the opposite that he should have done to try and get away.

"Don't be such a baby," she chided him in the dark bathroom. It was hard to keep hold of him with how slick her fingers felt. "What did you do? Soak yourself?"

"No," came his whispered reply.

The lights flicker on for a moment, duller than the normal ones. The back up generator that the police had brought along didn't have a lot of power to light the whole mansion.

Kid was staring at her from under a dark cap, wearing a short-sleeved black shirt and jeans, looking for all the world like Shinichi. Ran pushed him into the door now that she could see it, to better hold him. His face lay against it as he winced, coming to focus back on her eyes as the the pain faded.

"This time I'm turning you over to the police."

"By all means, do so if you think you can, but for now you must listen to me. You need to hide." The cap was shoved slightly askew and she could see Shinichi's hair swept across his face. Her anger grew inside of her like a hornet. She pushed him further against the wall, watching him close his eyes for a moment before turning a pleading glance at her.

"As if I'd believe anything you said."

"I'm not lying! Please, you need to hide. If they find us-"

There was a loud bang as someone shoved the door, realizing the handle was broken. The Kid's eyes widened in fright. Ran smiled.

"I'll only have to hold you and the police will do the rest."

"They're not the police!" Kid whispered harshly, his breath coming up short. Ran frowned, not only at his words but at how much pain he seemed to be in. She wasn't hurting him that much. She looked down at him, trying to find an answer to at least some of her questions only to have more swarm her brain. There was blood all over her hands.

"What?"

"Please, hide!" Kid begged her once more. Begged her. She had no other word for it. Ran started at him in confusion and shock. There was no reason she should trust him. He'd lied to her. He'd made her believe that he was- someone precious to her. She shook her head and Kid winced again as someone thew their full weight on the door she was holding him against.

"If you're lying to me-" She released him slowly. He moved his arm to make sure he was okay. The thief hurried to the sink, grabbing one of the hand towels off the wall and running hot water over it. The window was less then three feet from him but he didn't seem to be going for it.

"What are you doing?"

The door took another blow. It wouldn't be long before the police got in.

"I can't leave you here with them." Kid took his shirt and pulled up the front of it, revealing where the blood had come from. There was a large cut below his ribs. He closed his eyes tightly as he pressed the towel into it.

"You're hurt!"

"I'm aware of that." Kid let out a few pants of breathes, glancing nervously at the door. "Listen to me, can you do that? Only for a few moments."

Ran nodded numbly, her mind not being able to come to a reasonable conclusion as to what was going on. Kid took the towel away, now covered in his blood, and shoved it as far as he could in a small trash can in the corner before taking off his black shirt, somehow keeping the cap in place, and pulling a deep red one out of thin air. He ran up to her just as the door was ready to give in, placing a hand behind her head.

Instinctively Ran pushed him away, watching him bare his teeth in pain. Her hands wouldn't fall back to her side but he was able to get himself close enough to her to hide her face. The door gave in and Kid turned around with a wary smile.

"I know that you don't want me to- Hey, who are you?" Kid sounded genuinely confused as two men dressed in black came into the room. Her eyes widened as the fell on the automatic guns each one was holding.

"They're just kids," one man said as he turned to the other. The other, only identifiable as a different person by his sheer body mass, started down at them with narrow eyes.

"It doesn't matter. You heard the boss, everyone. If they put up a fight, we kill them." The man moved to get behind them, the bathroom's smaller diameter not permitting it. Kid made sure to keep her close to him. "Get going."

"Where are we going? What's going on? Where's my dad?" Kid glanced between the two of them. She was the only one able to see the spark of rebellion.

"We don't have time for this. If he wants us to nab everyone in this place were gonna lose the Kid."

"Don't you think I know that. That's why we have men outside. The boss would have heard something. No one's left. Kid's still here."

Ran felt Kid's hand tighten on her shoulder. He seemed worried for a moment before it faded into false surprise and agitation at being interrupted with a girl. Ran blushed.

"We've go to get out of here" he whispered suddenly to her. "I can get the big guy. Can you get the other one?"

Ran looked the smaller man over. He was nervous, new to this type of thing. His gun was held in a tight grip. These were the people you had to watch out for, she knew, because they would shoot at the slightest provocation. Ran nodded, shifting her feet beneath her. The Kid nodded in return, reaching into his pocket.

"On three," he smiled as if it were a game. Ran glared. "One. Two. Three."

All she saw was Kid shoot to the side as she went after the smaller man. His gun was held out in front of him and she slammed her arm against his, forcing him to drop the weapon. Ran, taking all her hate at Kid and confusion of the situation into her body, kicked him as hard as she could in the stomach, sending him sprawling over and slamming into the wall before he fell to the floor, head slumping forward. She took in a deep breath before turning around.

Kid had the large man's gun in his hand and was having fun twirling it around. Ran didn't see how he had done it, but the big man seemed to be out for the count, laying slack near the toilet seat.

"Wow, I'd really hate to be on the wrong side of your kicks." Kid's grin was wide as he made sure that the man he'd attacked was unconscious.

"It's bad to me on my wrong side at all." Ran took her stance back up. "And guess where you are?"

"Sorry. Sorry." Kid held up his hands, the gun falling over his pointer finger to dangle there. "I didn't mean anything by it."

"What just happened? Who are these people?"

"Considering you've been here the whole time, I shouldn't have to tell you what happened," Kid said sarcastically, grin in place to make it scathing so that Ran felt all the more angry at him. "As for who they are, I honestly have no idea." Kid went over and plucked the hat off the larger male, studying his face with the scrutiny of a officer. The man had short cut black hair and thick eyebrows that made his eyes seem even smaller then they already were. "I certainly don't want to know who they are either." Kid put the hat back in place before peering out the window.

"They were after you. You should know how they are."

"There are a lot of people who want me dead. I can't say I keep track of them."

Ran could tell Kid was lying to her - again - about knowing who these people were but his words threw her off a second time. She couldn't tell if he was speaking the truth or trying to throw her off with when he said there were people out to kill him.

"Who's trying to kill you?"

"That's not for a lady to worry about," Kid winked. His face became more somber as he turned back to the glass. "I'm going to have a look around. If it's safe, I'll come back and get you. I can't help anyone else. You can go to the police and tell them you escaped on your own. They'll send help."

Ran nodded, folding her arms in front of her chest. It wasn't that she wanted to listen to him, it was common sense.

Kid turned to open the window before flipping around and staring at her as if she'd suddenly become a demon. Ran shuddered, eyes opening to catch a flash of Kid moving from the window with inhuman speed to wrap her in his arms a second time that night. It happened so fast that she wasn't able to throw him off this time. Her mind registered a small whine from the thief as his momentum threw her against the wall.

Because he was holding her head close to him, she had to force his hand away in order to look up. The smaller man in black had somehow woken up from her kick and backed away from them, holding up a knife that was covered to the hilt in blood.

Ran didn't have time to think. She pushed Kid roughly away from her where she saw him fall to the floor. No one got up after she hit them. She glanced the man over once more and noticed he was wearing a bulletproof vest. Taking up a new stance she bore all of her weight into her core and punched him as hard as she could in the face. She was sure she saw a few teeth fall out. He wouldn't be getting up this time. The man collapsed, out of it now, onto the floor next to his partner.

"Nice hit" Kid commented from his new height. Ran turned to where he was on his knees on the floor. He smiled up at her. His shirt couldn't hide the large stain on his back that he hadn't had earlier.

"Did he-?..." Kid had given up his escape to protect her. She didn't know what to think of that. "Thank you."

"My fault anyway." Kid let out a few uneven breaths. His body trembled every time he tired to talk. "They're after me, not you."

A band-aid wasn't going to fix this and the Kid's shirt was starting to stain. She was glad he chosen a red one, or the blood would have been making her feel much worse. Ran went over and took the last remaining hand towel off the rack, soaking it in lukewarm water and ringing it out before kneeling in front of the thief. Kid shook his head.

"I appreciate the sentiments, but there isn't time." Kid looked nervous, and that was saying something. He didn't have anything to gain by playing her for a fool a second time, so there was no other reason for his worried expression and taciturn motions other than to state that he was truly concerned.

Ran ignored his protests and latched onto his shirt so that she could get at the wound. Kid jumped, equal amounts of surprise and pain playing across his face that was only shadowed by the rim of a baseball cap. He could have been anybody under that hat and, as many possibilities of him being someone with evil intent, were the same possibilities of him being someone who deserved her help - at least in return. He had protected her when he didn't need to.

The puncture wound was beneath his ribs and it looked as if the blade was forced up. No more than an inch in a half wide, there was so much blood that she couldn't get a good look at it.

"I've never actually been stabbed in the back before." Kid smiled at her and tired to pull himself away but getting up must have been more painful than he had anticipated because he only drew one leg up to lift himself up with before pausing to turn away from her. "I'm sorry. I don't think that I can get you out of here anymore. I can lead you to another room where you can hide and hopefully they won't find you until I can relay a message to the police. Nakamori-keibu and his officers won't be..." The Kid stopped speaking for a moment to get his breathing evened out, using more of it than necessary to speak. "Capable of dealing with these people, since most of his men don't carry guns. I'm sure the Inspector has one, but one man against all of these doesn't look too promising. I'll be back with help soon."

Ran was used to being speechless in situations that she couldn't control but, as much as she reminded herself that he wasn't, Kid seemed more and more like Shinichi every second she spent with him. She narrowed her eyes before she knew what she was doing and placed her hands on her hips.

"You can't even stand up. How do you expect to get out of here? I'm not deaf either. I heard them talk about men outside. You'll be killed and then what help will you be to me?"

"I didn't think you cared so much." Kid flashed his teeth at her before standing without so much as a single hesitation in the movement. "Don't underestimate me."

Again, she didn't think before she acted. Ran stood up next to him and pushed him into the wall. Not hard enough to do him any real harm or to get the attention of the rest of the people in the house who appeared to have no trouble murdering her, but with enough force that Kid wasn't able to keep his balance. She didn't miss when he winced as his back made contact with the wall.

Kid gave her an annoyed look before using his left arm and letting himself sit back on the floor where he'd been seconds before. He put a hand up to his face and stared at her with his uncovered right eye. "That wasn't very nice you know, Mouri-san."

"If you think you can walk around and lie to me, than don't expect me to play fair either." She crossed her arms and stood over him, shadowing him for the low light of the bathroom.

"If I stay here, you'll only be put in danger, maybe killed." Kid tipped his head back so that she could see how serious he was. She was taken aback but the color of his eye, now that she could see it and didn't have other things on her mind to worry about, such as living. It was blue, almost, if not, the exact same shade as Shinichi's. She wasn't ready for that. The person in front of her couldn't be that old. As good as Kid seemed to be at disguising himself, she'd crossed paths with him more than once and he always seemed to be around the same age.

Ran clenched her hands, trying to keep those thoughts away. He wasn't Shinichi. No matter how similar the two were, she'd know if it was him.

"Don't run away."

Kid gave her an '_are you serious_' look.

"You may not be Shinichi, but I'm sure you're someone else's Shinichi." There was something sweet and kind about him that Ran didn't feel the same falseness in that she did in his voice, his manners, and everything else about him. "Stealing isn't right. I told you this once, and I'll tell you again because you act like a child and you probably tuned my words out every time I talk to you. Turn yourself in. You're hurting people."

"I can't." Kid seemed to shrink on on himself, unfolding one leg out from under him and leaning on the bathroom wall. He seemed surprised with himself at the answer he'd given her but it didn't help Ran. She was still confused and Kid seemed more interested in listening for any outside noise rather than clarifying his words so that she could understand them.

"You said being here is putting me in danger. That's because you're here. I'm pretty sure all those fans of yours don't like being put in danger every time you show up either, considering that they don't even know its dangerous."

"I'm well aware of that, but there's nothing I can do and, as long as they come in groups, they shouldn't be in harm's way." Kid got up off the floor again, eyeing her to make sure he wasn't pushed back this time. Ran was tempted to do it out of spite, since he seemed to expect the worst from her.

When he was standing on his own his shoulders slumped and his eyes lidded in a very teenaged expression of frustration. Ran was getting less and less of a reaction out of herself every time he displayed behavior better suited for someone her own age, rather than the age she had believed Kid was.

"If I'm going to remain here, we have to play this very carefully." Kid removed his shirt, not seeming to care that Ran was a girl and he was doing it in front of her for a second time. She'd been too distracted to take notice of it earlier, and the fresh blood on his back almost made her miss it again, but there was no doubt that Kid was young judging by the way his body looked under the clothes. "See if there are bandages in the cupboard if you would," Kid said as he tipped his head in her direction, wearing nothing but dark jeans a black cap. There was something hindering his words when he spoke and Ran saw what appeared to be thread between his teeth before he turned away from her and rested one of his feet on the toilet so that he could see his torn shirt.

Ran bent under the sink, not to help the thief, there was no way she'd want to do that, but to repay him. She froze with the bandages in hand and saw Kid's head shoot to the door before her own eyes settled on it. There was the sound of a fight somewhere close by and Ran felt her hand tighten on the cloth, hoping it wasn't her father... or Conan.

"Hurry." Kid turned back to his work, sowing the tear shut and biting on the extra thread. She wasn't sure where he put the needle, or where it had come from, since it was gone in the next second as he held the shirt up at the shoulders to examine his work. He turned to her with a grin, eyes flashing for a moment before being hidden in the shadows once again. "If it's not too much trouble, I would like help wrapping the cut on my back. I don't want to give myself away."

Kid took the bandages from her before she had a chance to do what he asked, wrapping them around the front where he was hiding his first injury from her. She couldn't tell how bad it was but the one on his back seemed worse. Kid's breathing hadn't been the same since he'd saved her and she was afraid that it had hit his lung or something. Of course, she quickly tried to change the worry for him into anger for getting her into this type of situation but it was harder to do than she thought.

"Here." Kid handed the bandages back. "It doesn't have to be perfect, just enough so that it's not bleeding through the shirt."

"But your shirt's already full of blood." She looked down at the red t-shirt. It may have made the blood less obvious but it wasn't invisible. She knew the longer it sat, the darker the stains would become.

"I know. I have an excuse for that though." Kid waved a hand at the unconscious men. "They injured me, as me, not necessarily as Kid. As long as no one looks too closely, it should be fine."

Ran jumped as someone banged on the door. Kid's eyes caught her attention when he turned and shoved a hand in front of her. Serious, determined, and with a tint of fear that let her know that he was human. It was an expression she'd only ever seen on Shinichi's face, and only once, when she was so scared that the serial murderer was going to kill her and Shinichi got to her in time before her grip let up. She didn't know why she'd saved the murderer then, but Shinichi's words rang in her head now, lost until the moment when the Kid's expression matched her childhood friends. _Do you need a reason to save someone's life?..._

"Wait, you're still hurt." Ran pushed his hand away from her so that his body was turned to better wrap up the cut. She took a moment to be amused at the shocked look on the thief's face before doing her best to stop the bleeding while someone continued to pound on the door, shouting for them to unlock it.

Her hands were shaking but she ignored it, feeling pressure not only from the man at the door but from Kid's eyes watching her over his shoulder. It wasn't her best job, it wasn't even a good job, but her fingers fell away from the bandages as Kid pulled the shirt over his head and the door slammed open. In the heart stopping moments after the sudden noise, Ran found that Kid had once again stepped in front of her, to protect her.

The man who slammed the door open was wearing a dark suit with a hat that shaded his eyes, similar to what Kid's was doing, in the small amount of light the generator could produce. Ran's eyes were on his face for only a moment, traveling to the gun he had pointed at them. Kid wasn't smiling, but she didn't think he would be. Only she knew who he was and smiling while a weapon was being pointed at you wasn't something a normal person would have done.

Kid lost his outward expression of control in seconds, grabbing onto the arm of her shirt and hiding his face partially, with one arm wrapping around her back. Years of training told her that it was one of the worst positions that you could take up, leaving too much open to attack.

The man with the gun didn't take much time noticing the two unconscious men in the bathroom with them. He only grinned more, taking a few steps into the room. Kid cowered, drawing inward and taking a step backwards into a vulnerable position that her sensei would have yelled at any newbie for. Ran caught up on his behavior quickly and wrapped her hands around herself when she noticed she'd fisted them and was ready to fight off the man. He was too far away from her and had a gun, and her pride was a stupid thing to get killed for.

"More of you idiots. And I thought I was only here to catch one fool." The gun was aimed and Ran and she felt Kid's hand tighten around her. If he was going to shoot her away, Ran wasn't going to back down. She let her fear of the man drain away until her resolve was clear.

_I'm sorry Shinichi, I won't be here to wait for you..._


	2. A Joker, An Ace, and Snake Eyes

**Chapter 2: A Joker, An Ace, and Snake Eyes**

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_"Well meant are the wounds a friend inflicts, but profuse are the kisses of an enemy."_

_- Bible: Hebrew, Proverbs 27:6 _

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"Don't hurt her!" Kid's words snapped Ran out of her resolution. The thief pushed her behind him slightly, still leaving too many openings. His hands were clearly shaking when he walked in front of her and held them out at his sides. "I- I'm sorry! It's my fault! Please- Please don't hurt her!"

It wasn't so much as the pleading and fear that Kid was emitting that left her at a loss, but his voice was far lower than it had been when he was speaking to her earlier. It had resembled Shinichi's then, if not lighter on some of his inflections. Now it was a deep bass of someone who just hit puberty and wasn't ready for the change in pitch.

The man in the black suit seemed to shrug slightly before transferring the gun from head height to chest. "It's not like it was me. I have enough idiots to worry about and I don't want to go starting a riot. Try anything funny though and you're both dead."

The threat was very real. Ran had been in these types of situations before, and always she was clam in the face of danger. Now though, Kid was with her. An internationally wanted thief was at her side and he was bleeding because of what these people were capable of. It made her thoughts wander to Conan and she prayed that he was all right.

"Get in the hall with the rest of them." The man ordered her and the Kid. He kicked out his foot at the man she had knocked unconscious with a snort.

Kid went first, making sure to keep himself in front of the gun, though it wasn't obvious with they way he was stumbling over his own feet, at the same time trying keep hold of her arm as Ran attempted to pull away from him. He was a great actor. The hand he had clamped around her wrist was still and guiding, while he keep fidgeting around with his other one, making sure the man in black thought that they were scared. Ran wasn't good at pretending so she stayed quiet and followed their lead, much to her discomfort.

"Ran!"

Sonoko's voice shouted across the room as they entered, making her tense up at the sudden noise. She wasn't the only one who noticed the strange expression that mingle with Sonoko's relief when she walked in with Kid on her arm.

Two other people in the room, besides Sonoko, expressed something more than warmth when they saw her. One she had expected. Conan's sharp eyes stared back at her from where he was sitting next to her father, a deep bruise already forming on his face where he must have been struck. The calculating expression that seemed so natural on Shinichi, focused on her escort without leaving him.

The other person who had reacted to their entrance was a blond boy she knew she had met before, even spoken too, but with how many people she come across on cases and how much Shinichi had tried to drill into her head the names of every famous character from any descent mystery, she wasn't surprised that his name didn't come to her now. Unlike Conan, the blond seemed to twitch, surprise there instead of concern, though she wasn't sure because she quickly broke eye contact with him.

Instead of going over to her father and Conan, who were seated in the middle of the room, Ran took a spot near the front, at the first opportunity presented to her. Sonoko was up there, but so were some house servants and police officers she had never seen before. Kid hesitated a moment before falling heavily to the floor and nearly glaring at her from under his cap.

"You had to sit by the police officers, didn't you?"

"You should be glad. I was being nice." Ran didn't face him but she knew he could hear her. "Conan-kun probably knows it's you, so I thought I'd stay over here."

Kid seemed to be evaluating her before she heard a soft laugh that could have been her imagination. "No, you just want _me_ away from _him_ so that he has less of a chance of getting himself in trouble. I admire that."

Ran didn't know what to say, and was glad when Sonoko slid behind her.

"Ran-"

"Shut up! Everyone!"

The small mumbles of fear and confusion that were moving through the rather large group all came to a halt as the man who had brought her and Kid into the room shot a bullet off into the ceiling. She felt Sonoko's hand grip the back of her shirt.

"You don't have to do that! We can hear you just fine!"

Ran was dazed for a moment when an unknown female voice shouted at the man. Whoever the girl yelling was, she was close, maybe a few feet behind her and to her right since Ran had picked a nice stop to the side where she was close to the wall.

A breeze blew Ran's hair and she looked over to see that Kid had moved from his docile sitting position to a crouch, seeming prepared to dash across the room. She thought he had to be crazy to move around like that with his injuries.

Ran heard the click of the gun as the man pointed it into the crowd. It wasn't hard to see the girl, as she was next to the blond Ran had spotted earlier and several people around them had backed away when she had shouted.

"This isn't a game, little girl. I shoot you and you die. You'll find I'm not a very nice person if you do one more thing to get me angry."

Ran watched as the girl crossed her arms, long brown hair just a few shades lighter than her own, helping the other stand out against the older males around her. There was defiance in her posture but she made no move to speak again.

The man kept his gun aimed in the girl's direction as he spoke clearly to one of his subordinates. "Is this everyone?"

"We're still searching. The house is really big, Sir. It's going to take some time."

"I have a bunch of cops - albeit half-assed ones - and over twenty hostages, and you want me to wait while all of the Tokyo Metro gets here?" The man laughed, though Ran found no humor in it. "No. Let's make this easy." The leader made his way into the crowd, people parting before him as he went narrowed in on the brazen girl. Several things happened at once when he got close, only one of which Ran clearly saw since she was a part of it.

Kid tried to run for the gunman, only for Ran to grab hold of his sleave, making him trip and land painfully on the ground behind them, unintentionally bumping into Sonoko. Ran didn't know why she stopped him but she knew that if she let him go, he would die.

The second thing that happened was the blond who hadn't left the girl's side when the others around her had, stood up and blocked the man from coming any closer.

"You're not touching her."

The teenage boy and much larger man had a staring contest while Ran continued to fight with Kid, who was trying to get out of her hold. She struggled to get his other arm behind his back, so that he wouldn't draw any more attention to their part of the room. Kid resisted all the more but froze when he heard the blond boy speak.

"Move it boy." The leader raise his gun. "Or die."

"I said you're not touching her." The blond didn't move. Ran's thoughts were in a three way tug of war between trying to remember who he was, attempting to keep the world's most elusive criminal in her control, and in shock of the whole situation and how it had come about.

"I could kill you right here an take the girl anyway. I'm sure a lot of people wouldn't like that and your actions would send most of the police officers here to the grave with you, but I'll be generous this one time. I won't touch her." The leader roughly shoved the teen's shoulder, giving him the angle to wrap his forearm around the boy's neck tight enough to choke him. "You're not a girl, but you should be fine."

"Let him go!" The girl stood up from their shadow. "You wanted me, right?" She pulled on the man's sleave and there was an audible click from the gun as he placed the cold metal against the blond's head, at his temple under his hair.

"Shut up and sit down or I'll kill him."

The girl started at the gunman angrily, tears clear but not escaping her eyes. Ran felt bad for her. She could only image that she'd be acting the same way if she was in that possiton.

"Let go of me," Kid growled low under his breath so no one would hear. Ran was sure Sonoko did though, because the girl turned away from the scrimmage to face them.

"I can't. If I let you go you'll either get that boy shot or yourself killed. I'm not an idiot."

"Kudo-kun?" Sonoko asked, looking between the two of them. Ran shook her head. At the last second she bit back on her words without telling her best friend that it was Kid. There were other people around them and it was possible she'd be overheard. Why she felt a need to protect him, she didn't know, but seeing the way these people who were after him were acting, she didn't care. He couldn't be worse than they were.

"Kid! I know you're here somewhere still! You're either hiding or somewhere in this room, but if you don't come out now, I'm going to kill this boy!" The blond seemed more worried about breathing than he did the firearm ready to take his life. The man in black noticed this and loosened his hold with a cruel grin as the boy started to choke out stifled breaths.

"And what if he's not here or escaped and you're too stupid to have noticed?" The girl was at it again and Ran wished she'd be quiet to keep herself safe.

"Then you're all going to die here, since I'd have no use for you. I'm sure, even if it takes a few of your deaths, Kid will return if he's already left. If not, I'll just have fun with all of you and see how many I can go through before the police arrive."

There was a disgruntled noise from a man near the girl. He wasn't at her side but he'd been drawing in closer and closer since Ran had been watching. Unlike the other two, Inspector Nakamori she did recognize.

"The police that can actually accomplish something I mean." His eyes narrowed in on the man and he shoved the gun harder into the blond's head, forcing him further into his hold. "Now, as I was saying, if Kid is here I'd like him to come out in- lets say five minutes. IF YOU DON'T!" he shouted, addressing Kid since he didn't know if the thief was still hiding somewhere in the house. "You know I'll keep my word!"

"Please, let me go," Kid struggled some more under her hold but Ran couldn't do it. She couldn't let this... teenage boy, _he had to be_, die. She couldn't.

"Four minutes!"

Ran watched as Kid tensed, prepared to fight her. Her attention though, was more drawn to the blond. He was tall and so had to bend his knees slightly to stay in a somewhat comfortable possiton as the man held him. The teen had his hands gripping the man's arm in order to help this precarious balance, but it didn't seem as if he was fighting against him. His hands were taunt enough that the material from the man's coat was shifting in place every time they moved. He was feeling him out. Ran shook her head. The blond had noticed that there wasn't a way to get out of the hold in time to avoid the gunshot.

But he could get out of the hold.

She was thinking so she hadn't noticed Conan until he was right in front of her. Ran almost screamed, holding in the noise in the split second it took for her brain tell her there wasn't any danger. Unfortunately, her sudden terror had her raising her hands in a defensive position, leaving Kid able run off at his chance for freedom.

"Wait," she called out as loud as she dared, but it was too late. Conan was confused at what was going on but watched Kid's fleeing form with her as the thief stuck the gunman from behind, sharply hitting the arm the man was holding the weapon in.

The sound of the shot rang trough the room, missing the blond by a few inches as he slid to the ground, using the shock to get away from the man. Kid wasn't so lucky, as the man instinctively took the arm that Kid had knocked and elbowed the thief in the face. Kid stumbled back, tripping on one of the people on the ground before falling over.

"Who the hell did that?" The man in black turned all his anger towards the Kid, picking him up roughly by the collar of his shirt. Kid was too stunned to move and hung limply in the man's hold. The blow had knocked the thief's cap sideways in a liberal fashion, making thief look like a teenage delinquent. "Don't you think you can get away with that!"

"Stop it!" Ran didn't know what she was doing and wished she could take back her words. But it was too now. She stood up and went over to them, ignoring Conan's eyes, and careful not to move to quickly and be considered a threat. She stopped a few feet away. "He's with me! I'm sorry he ran into you but please don't hurt him."

"If everyone here wants to be heroic, you're all going to die." The man let go of Kid, the thief not having his senses back and slamming his head into the ground. Ran watched him closely where a dark bruise was already forming around his right eye. He blinked them open a few times and Ran stepped back. His wounded eye was completely red on the inside, as if he were a demon. Ran had seen it before, in karate, and knew that it was blood leaking in front the injury. Kid wouldn't be able to see, or appear normal, for at least a week.

"Are you alright?" Ran bent down next to him, watching the blond closely out of the corner of her eye as he stared at them and rubbed his throat from a crouched position nearby.

Kid didn't answer her question, only put a hand to his eye and wince in pain. She knew that blow must have given him one of the worse headaches he was ever likely to have along with the bruising.

"All these kids throwing themselves at me." The man laughed. "I'm a little disappointed it wasn't any of the police officers. Just shows how much 'justice' is worth in the real world."

Kid started to growl but Ran placed a hand on his stomach, making him drawn back and stop the noise.

"I guess I may be rushing things. The police force shouldn't get here until morning, seeing as it's not unusual for them to lose contact with devision two." The man sneered at all of them. "That doesn't mean I want to sit her quietly and let Kid have his time to act." The man pointed his gun at Ran, Kid, and then the blond and the female. "You will come will me. I'll use you as hostages if anything goes wrong and I won't have to worry about anyone trying to get me from behind." The man glared down at Kid but the thief still had his eyes closed and was trying to fight off the pain.

"Ran." Shinichi's - no, Conan's - quiet voice reached her ears. He must have followed her.

"Don't worry Conan-kun, I'll be fine." They looked at one another and she felt bad. Conan was worried, and not about himself. It wasn't the first time she'd seen that look on his face. It clearly spoke of hurt but she couldn't tell where it came from.

Ran stood up, helping Kid get to his feet and feeling him sway authentically. The blond stood and shoved the other girl back to the floor, turning on the leader.

"I told you, you aren't touching her. I'm fine with you taking me but she stays."

The man gave in quicker than he had before. "Fine, the less of you to watch, the better. If she misbehaves out here though, my men _will_ be forced - _heh,_ take pleasure, in killing her."

"But Hakuba-kun-" The girl's protests were cut off when Inspector Nakamori took her wrist and forced her to the ground next to him, wrapping on arm protectively around her. Hakuba. That was his name. Ran had been distracted by his foreign features and had forgotten that he hadn't had a foreign name. The teen nodded to the Inspector and more memories of him started to come to her. They'd been at a mansion together, and he'd been after the Kid.

The man in black made them walk in front of him, keeping a closer watch on Hakuba than on her and Kid. She could see how the blond seemed the greater threat, what with Kid swaying dangerously whenever he stepped forward with his right foot. Ran could guess that his balanced was still knocked off so she held onto him arm, feeling his fingers brush against her wrist as added enforcement.

"Ran, don't go!" Sonoko called out to her loudly and she couldn't help but turn to her friend. Ran didn't know why, but she wasn't scared. It worried her more to be leaving Sonoko and Conan than it did to be dragged off with the evil-eyed man.

Kid moved his hand from her arm to rest on her shoulder, giving Sonoko a look that she couldn't see, as they were led out of the room. Sonoko didn't try to come after them, so he must have reassured her, even with his discolored eye. When Kid turned back to her as they entered the hallway, she saw that he had his injured eye closed. He smiled at her when he noticed her looking.

Hakuba was trying to look at them as well, curiosity high, before the armed man shoved him roughly in the back.

"Make goo-goo eyes at each other on your own time. I won't have any fooling around now. This isn't three strikes and your out anymore. They won't see you die so I have no problem killing you."

None of them said anything after that and Hakuba remained a few steps ahead of the other two, so he couldn't be accused of fraternizing with them again. The man grabbed the blond at one point, after they'd gone nearly half the length of the house, and indicated that they should go into one of the rooms.

The space in question was obviously a guest bedroom, considering the smell of both dust and cleanser that hung in the air. They stood in the center while the man got in and locked the door behind them. In front of the group was a bed, sheets in order and the color of soft cream. The walls were decorated with a slightly darker hue and held painting of flowers and mountains. If Ran's thoughts weren't on other things she might have admired the calm setting that went so well with a soft white desk and large vanity mirror.

"Now, you" The man lashed out at Hakuba before any of them saw it coming, striking him the the head with the gun. Hakuba had turned to face him when he spoke, so it hit him solidly in the forehead. The blond crouched over, raising a hand to the wound and Ran saw blood run between his fingers. "Don't you dare think you can ever tell me what to do. One word," the gunman threatened, raising the barrel, "and I have no problem having two captives."

Ran was swift enough this time to predict Kid's movements. He changed from groggy to steel the moment Hakuba was hit, attempting to get himself between them and the gunman. Ran held onto his arm tightly, having to shove her heels into the rug to keep the thief from acting so impulsively.

Hakuba took his hand away, wiping the red onto his pants that were dark enough to hide the stain, and standing back up to stare back at his assailant with reproaching eyes. The man's rancid smile had her wanting to reach out and pull the blond back as well as Kid. They were both being idiots, trying to attack a man that could kill them in a heartbeat.

"Get over there," the man said, swinging the barrel of the gun at the closet in the room, "and don't you dare move an inch. Like I said, I don't care how many hostage I have. If at least one of you is left alive, I'll be happy. You know, I don't even need one of you." Ran heard at the hammer on the gun was pulled back, closing her eyes for a moment as she did was she was told, not having to drag Kid along this time, as he came willingly.

When they were at the closet, Kid ignored all logic again and sat on the floor, leaning forward and holding his hand up to his hurt eye. The man in black nodded at his action, stating to them that sitting was acceptable as he walked over to the window on the opposite side of the room, cell phone in hand.

Kid was still holding onto one of Ran's hands so she found it easier to sit next to him than bend over. Hakuba took a spot on her other side, though he leaned forward off the closet doors so that he'd be able to watch Kid.

"Hello," they heard the rough voice of the man as he spoke into a phone. "I'd like to speak with one of your higher ups. Get them on the line now, or a lot of people are going to start dieing."

Ransome. The man was going to demand money for their release, even though he'd already said he'd kill as many people as he wanted to in order to draw Kid out. The man made it so he couldn't lose. He'd kill as many people as he wanted, hopefully getting Kid in the process. The police could do nothing about the lives that were already lost and pay the man and his goons to set the rest of them free.

There wasn't many people who could stop it from happening either.

_Shinichi_. She wanted him with her so badly. She didn't notice when she started squeezing Kid's hand until he had to shake her off.

"Oh, sorry." She left go when he pulled away, thinking she was happy to be free of him after feeling sorry that she'd hurt him.

"It's fine, Mouri-san." Besides flexing his fingers, he seemed okay. Ran knew she had a strong grip and she didn't think Kid was one to show that she'd been bothering him unless it hurt.

Ran was used to Kid being moonlight and magic, not weak and human and bleeding. It was such a stack difference that she wasn't sure how to react around him.

"Kid-san, you better shape up or you'll lose some of your fans."

Hakuba's sudden words distracted her and she only saw Kid seat himself properly out of the corner of her eye. When she turned back he was grinning without a hint of the frailty that had been there before.

"So Hakuba-san, that means I'd be losing _your_ support?"

"I'm no fan of yours, I'm a fan of living. I can't see how to do that without your help."

Some agreement was going on between the two that Ran wasn't made part of.

Kid laughed. "This makes it easier anyway. He was smart to split us up, since you should never keep all your eggs in one basket-"

"Unless one of the eggs is Kaitou Kid. Now he doesn't have any help from his men if we chose- excuse me, if _you_ choose to strike him."

So Hakuba had known that the teen next to her was Kid. Ran couldn't tell how this was possible, considering the boy looked more like Shinichi than he did the thief. Suddenly she wasn't upset about hurting his hand anymore. Kid should know better than to run around her looking like _him._

"I've been thinking on it for a while," Kid leaned over Ran, ignoring her as he spoke to the blond. Ran didn't like that one bit, so she pushed him forward and herself back more so that the thief wouldn't be in her face. Her shoulder hit again the closet, making the door rattle against its frame.

The world went dark and Ran wondered briefly if she had died and hadn't seen it coming.

"I told you don't fool around with me. Next time I'll aim." Those words and the sound of unsteady breathing entered into the darkness around her. Red came next as Kid pulled himself away from her, apparently having protected her once again. Ran didn't know what to think of that. She'd always been the strong one. She had always protected those around her that couldn't protect themselves. The roles were reversed now and the two boys around her had taken charge of the situation. Relief and fear flooded her like they never had before. The bullet hole less than a foot above her head helped the emotions along. The next thing she knew she had Kid's shirt clutched in her shaking hands. "_Shinichi"_. _Help._

"Mouri-san-" Kid put his hands on her wrists before deciding that prying her off was a bad idea, instead he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her. _Shinichi._ He wasn't him. This boy wasn't him. _But did it matter? _

Ran felt herself hurt at the thought. Of course it mattered, but she couldn't deny that this boy and Shinichi were similar, not only in looks but in strength. She was aware that Kid was a criminal. He- was a bad person, right? So why did she feel so safe with him?

One down to earth thought kept coming back to her while these questions fogged her brain so the fear couldn't take over. Kid felt wet. His body against hers was very cold and damp, almost as if he had gone into a lake on a chilly day and the temperature didn't let him dry off completely.

While she had welcomed his hug, since she had initiated it, his head resting by her neck felt too personal. She could even feel his breathing tickling her hair in a slow rhythm. Almost as if he were resting.

"Um, Ki-" Ran stopped herself before she said anymore. Kid let her got when he released his shirt and it didn't seem like there was anything wrong with him other than the worry that was floating in his gaze. He looked like a beaten dog with the black eye and Ran almost wished he was hugging her again so she wouldn't have to see it. So that should could be comforted by the thought that someone strong was protecting her.

Hakuba was staring at her as if she were crazy, and it wasn't hard to imagine why. She'd just made an internationally wanted criminal hug her. Ran shook her head, getting back to the thoughts at hand. Worry crept up even when she tried to force it away.

Now that Kid was sitting once again, Ran turned him towards her, lifting up his shirt to see the bandages completely soaked in his blood.

"You've been bleeding out this whole time..." She put the shirt down. "We need to get you to a hospital."

"No." The thief's words were hard but his vision seemed to be swimming. Ran didn't know how much blood a person had to lose to pass out, but she was sure he was getting close to that limit.

"Kami, when the hell did that happen!" Hakuba hissed out, only whispering his words at the last second due to shock.

"It's nothing." Kid may have been grinning at them, but the glassy look in his eyes ruined the illusion. Kid shook his head to try and clear it. "I'm fine. We have to worry about getting everyone out of here."

"Not with you in that condition." Hakuba put a hand up to his mouth as he thought, similar to how Shinichi would. As dire as their situation was, it made Ran smile.

The man snapping the phone shut made them fall into a lack position to try and show vulnerability. It was done completely without thought by all three, not that Kid had to try.

"Now I have to deal with you brats. Don't worry, I have plans for you." The man raised his gun at her and Ran tried hard not to flinch. He moved the weapon in a slow arch back and forth between all of them. "I'm going to kill one of you, to show those idiots that call themselves _law enforcement_ that that can't mess around with me." He let the gun rest on Hakuba. "Should it be the one who fought against me," he said as he took the gun in one final motion, Ran feeling herself sweat even if her expression hid the fear, "The girl who did the same thing..." The gun rested on Kid. "Or the idiot who thought he could get me while my back was turned." The revolver stayed focused on Kid as the man pulled back the hammer on the gun.

Ran couldn't help what she did next.

She stood up, startling all of them, and stood in front of Kid so that he couldn't be shot. He'd gotten away with protecting her once, she wasn't going to let him get away with it again. Criminal or not, right now Ran had the strength to fight back and he didn't. She owed him. It wasn't just her life he'd saved, he'd rescued Conan's too. Ran was willing to pay back her debt. She'd be prepared from the moment that the man had first drawn the gun on them in the bathroom, though she hadn't known it then.

"Ran."

The voice broke apart her determination. It was a dirty trick and she'd realized it only after Kid had gotten up and pushed her behind him. She had though Shinichi was there. Hatred flared up but was dispelled the minute that he turned and smiled at her. "I asked you earlier to trust me."

It- It wasn't Shinichi's voice. He may have called her by her first name, like Shinichi would, but that wasn't his voice. Almost, but something was off. They looked alike, could they sound alike? Had Kid, whoever he was, really just spoken to her?

Ran couldn't even nod. She was too numb. Everything was pushing her farther than she was able to handle. So the boy, bleeding his life out in front of her, put a hand on her shoulder until she was sitting on the ground next to the blond again. She didn't know what Hakuba thought of everything that was going on between them. She didn't know what to think. In any case, she couldn't take her eyes off of Kid and his grin in order to find out.

"_Heh_. How sweet."

Ran heard the sound of the gunshot before she was ready for it- Kid hadn't even had the time to stand up straight.

She closed her eyes.


	3. Indestructible

**Chapter 3: Indestructible**

_**...**_

_**...**_

_Memory and forgetfulness are as life and death to one another. To live is to remember and to remember is to live. To die is to forget and to forget is to die... There is never either absolute memory or absolute forgetfulness, absolute life or absolute death. So with light and darkness, heat and cold, you never get either all the light or all the heat out of anything. Everything is like a door swinging backwards and forwards. Everything has a little of that from which it is most remote and to which it is most opposed..._

_- Samuel Butl__er _

_**...**_

_**...**_

If she hadn't have opened her eyes back up, needing to know if she had just allowed another to be killed instead of her, she would have missed it.

Kid may have been injured but even hurt, the thief was faster than Ran on one of her best days. His expression changed from accepting to aggressive as he crouched down to avoid the shot and used the heel of his hand to knock the gun out of the man in black's grip.

Out of all the occupants, Hakuba was the one who saw this coming and dove for the gun, grabbing it from off the floor and practically falling over the bed in his attempt to get as far away as fast as possible. The door was unlocked and thrown open and Hakuba stood in the open pathway, aiming his prize at their captor. "Don't move!"

Kid was knocked backwards towards her and he hit the wall hard, sliding to the floor. The man stared death at him but manage to tear his gaze away to watch the blond who had the pistol aimed at its handler.

"You're just a smart-ass kid. You won't shoot me."

Ran made her way over to Kid. He put a hand to the back of his head but seemed alright for the time being. She turned back to watch the standoff. Hakuba moved his finger to the trigger and aimed at the man's chest.

"You- you're trying to kill everyone here. I think I'll make an exception this time."

"No." Kid's whispered plea was only heard by her. Ran kept her eyes focused on the deadlock, thinking the same thing. There was no other option open to her but to try and knock out the big man. That would mean getting in a good hit before he could fight back. If she didn't knock him out, a shout from him would get the other men's attention and they wouldn't have the upper hand anymore. As much as she hated it, didn't want it, was constantly thinking of some alternative- she wouldn't stop it if Hakuba shot him.

Kid caught her expression, turning his head to the side and facing away from her. "What if it was Kudo-kun?"

"What?" Ran whispered back. Kid wouldn't face her, though he did fix his cap so that it was on straight and made his face hard to read once again.

"What if it wasn't Hakuba-kun, what if it was Kudo-kun. Would you still want him to do it?"

Shinichi. Would she want him to shoot a man? No. Shinichi was never allowed to be a murderer. She knew her friend and knew how much it would haunt him if he were forced into something like that. Kid nodded. Ran wasn't sure how he knew what she was thinking because he still wouldn't meet her gaze.

"Do you think they're so different?"

Of course not. Ran looked back at the blond. He was stiff. He may have known how to fire a gun, how to hold it, but he wasn't ready to use one. Ran saw, as much as he was trying to compensate for it, his aim wasn't steady.

A bark of laughter made the poor guy cringe and Ran thought he might pull the trigger on accident. Hakuba shook it off in seconds, eyes dead set and ready.

"Boy, don't make me laugh. Maybe in another hundred years you'll be ready, but not now. You don't know what you're missing. Killing someone is one of the greatest thrills you can feel. Let me show you."

The man was coming towards them. Kid braced himself against the wall, ready to get up again. Ran was half bent over him and had no time to protect herself if it came down to it.

"Stop!"

Hakuba's words had no effect on the man as he continued over towards them, taking the last few feet in seconds.

"Get as far away from me as possible and try to hold your breath."

Ran started numbly down, not sure if she'd heard the words, but she must have. Kid nodded and, before the man could do anything, he charged at him, hitting him around the waist. Ran was already running, trying to make it across the room to where the blond was still standing, struck by Kid's actions as much as she was. Ran breathed a sigh of relief when his finger moved out of the trigger guard.

There was a hissing noise from somewhere but Ran didn't see anything different in the room. Once she reached Hakuba, she took in a big breath of air. Hakuba's eyes widened when her saw her do it and raise a hand to cover his own mouth and nose. It came on so fast that she hadn't pasted together what was going on before her brain went foggy. The world swayed around her, only Hakuba holding up her arm with his free hand stopped her from falling. The blond was affected too, and he took a few hesitant footsteps out the door, making sure he that he wasn't going to walk into anything, before he pulled her down the hallway. He let her go after they'd gotten far enough away and started panting.

"Stupid idiot." He raised the hand that wasn't still holding the gun and wiped away more blood that had started to slide down into his eye. The both stood there, panting, and waiting for the sleeping gas to dissipate.

Kid stumbled out of the room, holding something small and gray up to his face. Instead of coming over to them, he went for the wall across the door and sat at the base of it, head bent forward. Ran took in a breath before heading over to him, Hakuba reaching out to stop her before taking in oxygen of his own and following.

"Kid," Ran said quietly, trying to keep in the air so she wouldn't pass out. She waited for him to look at her. Kid tipped the cap up, removing the breathing device so that he could grin.

"I'm fine."

He didn't look fine. Where he had slid down the wall was a smear of blood, not thick but it had to be wet to get on there. There were several dark, angry red marks on the side of his face where the man must have grabbed him when he tried to pry Kid off. The ones that stood out the most, which Ran almost missed because of the dark house and the shadow of the cap, were bruising marks around his neck. His arm had similar marks when he raised it to tip the hat.

"You don't look fine." Ran had to take in a breath and it left her dizzy. Hakuba grabbed the back of her arm and dragged her away from the room.

"Get up. Unlike you, it's hard for us to talk with that stupid gas of yours."

"My apologies." Ran saw him use the wall to get up and follow them a safe distance away so that they wouldn't be breathing it in anymore.

"Here" Kid handed Hakuba a bottle with a cloth wrapped around it. She thought he was only using the material to keep his fingerprints off, but the blond took both and poured some of the liquid onto the handkerchief. The next thing she knew it was in her face, making her push the blond's hand away and rubbing her noise.

"What is that?" It burned when she'd breathed it in, but Hakuba didn't seem worried. The world was suddenly much clearer as she watched him breathe it in.

"Don't worry Mouri-san, it's only smelling salt." Kid took the bottle back, waiting as Hakuba gave him the cloth, also putting his fingers down the length of his nose as she had.

"Works better than I thought it would. I have to say I've never had the pleasure of using it before." Hakuba rubbed some more of the blood off his face but it seemed to be drying. "What are we supposed to do now?"

"He won't be out for long." Kid turned back to the room. Ran didn't want to go in there again. Hakuba may still be holding his gun, but that man scared her. "We have to make sure he can't move."

"I don't have anything for that," Hakuba raised his hands. "I had a pair of handcuffs but they were taken from me when they gathered us together."

"I don't carry those types of items," Kid said with a grin. She didn't know how, considering he must have been in a lot of pain, that he could push all his injuries off as if it were nothing. She didn't have time to think about that. No one did. There was a man in there, most certainly a killer, and they had to find some way to keep him from hurting anyone else.

"I have a rope, but it's too thick. He'll be able to get out of it."

"What about clothes?" Ran asked. They were in a house. A nice long sleeve sweeter could do it.

Kid shrugged. "I don't know, Mouri-san. He may be able to rip it. If we tie it well enough, it might work."

"Better than anything I can think of. How long exactly will the sleeping gas work?"

"With his body mass?" Kid seemed to think about it for a second. "I don't know. Maybe fifteen minutes if we're lucky."

"It will only need to hold him for a while until we can get the police here. I don't have my cell phone on me, another unfortunate loss to their earlier actions."

"I still have mine."

Kid and Hakuba looked at her wide eyed.

"I don't have mine either. I completely forgot that he never check you." Kid held out his hands. "Give me the phone. I know how to get the police here."

Ran took it out of her back pocket, holding it in both hands as she refused to give it up. It was a present from Shinichi. She couldn't just give it to Kid. The thief wasn't wearing gloves and Ran knew he wouldn't be stupid enough to leave evidence. He might not give it back.

Kid sighed, keeping his hands out. "I'll give it back, don't worry about it."

They waited. No one moved.

"I promise I'll return your phone. I'll swear on anything you ask. We don't have time."

If he shared any similarities with Shinichi besides physical ones, he wasn't lying. Ran tore the phone away from herself and placed it in his hands. Her eyes widened when her fingertips brushed against his palm. Kid was freezing.

"Don't get angry at me Mouri-san, I'm doing this so that they'll take me seriously." Kid's eyes stared hard at her, pushing in the numbers and waiting for the call to go through. "Just don't hit me."

_Why would she hit him?_ She didn't need to wait long to find out.

"Hello?" Kid was using Shinichi's voice again and Ran couldn't help clenching her fists. Kid saw, opening both his eyes, though one was still terribly blood shot, and pleading with her not to do anything. She kept her fist at her side. "This is Kudo-kun, I need to speak with Megure-keibu immediately. Tell him it's an emergency."

"How much about us do you know?" Ran asked under her breath. Kid turned the bottom of the phone away so he could whisper back.

"As much as I have to, to keep everyone safe. Tell me, do you think they would listen if I told them who I really was?"

No, they wouldn't. Shinichi had made a name for himself among the police officers. Inspector Megure in particular seemed to praise him more than the others. A message coming from Shinichi would take priority. Ran stopped brooding for a while to listen to what Kid was saying when he turned back to the phone.

"Yes, Inspector? I need you to listen to me very carefully. A group of armed men have taken the police officers and the civilian's hostage. They were apparently after Kid but things got out of hand. I heard from Ran that there was a ransom demand over the phone. Don't listen to it. These people are dangerous. I need you out there in ten minutes, but don't let them know when you get there. If things go according to plan, the hostages will come to you and then you can arrest the people inside." Kid clicked the phone shut before the Inspector had a chance to say anything in response. He didn't ever bother wiping off his prints before he handed the phone back.

"What did you mean by that? You have a plan?"

Kid turned to the other boy, leaving Ran to put her phone away without it being stolen back. She wondered why he left such damning evidence in her care.

"Yes I do, but we need to take care of him first." Kid tilted his head back, showing off the bruising around his throat. "I said that he'd be out fifteen minutes if we're lucky. He'll be waking up now if we aren't."

"Then I'll help you with that. Ran-san, you stay out here and warn us if someone's coming." Hakuba went searching for a room that had clothes, since the guest room would be empty. Kid stayed at her side, leaving the task to the blond.

"I'm sorry. I had to." Kid's voice was back to his own, not the one she had heard earlier or Shinichi's, but close enough to both of them that there was no doubt anymore that Ran now knew what Kid's real voice sounded like.

"I know." She didn't say anything more about the phone conversation and Kid seemed happy not to have to talk with her. Soon Hakuba was back, carrying several shirts and handing them over to Kid.

"Here, your turn."

"Why, thank you." Kid flipped a pair of scissors out of nowhere.

"You have those but you don't have string?"

Kid laughed at her expression. "I have rope and thread, but neither will work. The rope was to get down from the roof if my gilder didn't work, and the thread was something I left in my pocket. I didn't come prepared to tie everyone up. That wouldn't be much fun. Scissors, when used the right way, can have many purposes."

Ran ignored him, watching as Kid laid the shirts down and cut the area from sleeve to sleeve so they were left with six decent length binding material.

"He won't be able to rip them apart, but some time alone and enough patience and he might get out. I'll tie him up. I know it'll sound silly but we have to secure him to the bed or he'll be able to untie his feet and get out. That and a gag should stop him from causing any more trouble." Kid wince, getting his last word out before his put a hand to his chest. He kept it there and lowered his head so that they couldn't see his face.

"Hey, are you alright?" Ran asked, bending over to see under the brim. Kid moved away from her, not saying anything. They waited for a minute, before the thief lowered his hand and let out a shaky breath.

"I'm fine. Sorry about that."

"You're not fine, and so help me if I see you tomorrow I won't let it go. You're getting yourself some help and some sleep."

Ran had no idea why Hakuba had thought he'd see Kid the next day, but didn't have time to ask him about it before Kid nodded, keeping the cap low, and headed back to the room. Hakuba followed with her, entering while she stood watch at the door.

"Here". Kid handed him three of the pieces. "Tie them together tight first and then..."

...

"Kid?"

Kid stood where he was, trying to catch his breath. "I'm sorry, just give me a second."

They waited again for the attack to pass. When the pain faded, Kid went back to his explanation. "Tie them together first, then tie one around each ankle and the third one to the bed."

Hakuba nodded, already at work making the tightest knot he could. Kid did the same with his, wrapping it around the man's wrists as tightly as he could, cutting off the circulation. This time, Ran was sure that none of them felt guilty about causing harm. Hakuba finished soon after and they both had trouble moving the man over to the bed. They turned him sideways so that his back was to the frame, tying up his hands and legs so that he wouldn't be able to reach them. Kid was panting when they were done, Hakuba and Ran looking at him with worry.

Ran owed him. Owed him a lot. Not to mention that he'd been nothing but kind to her since their run in. It made her feel guilty about how she'd been treating him. To back of the guilt, Hakuba had no reason to worry over the criminal, and yet his was, so that must have meant he saw that the Kid was doing the right thing. Ran wished she'd noticed sooner. She wouldn't have been so hard on him.

"I'll get something we can use as a gag. Give me those scissors."

Kid stayed where he was knelt on the floor, his hand going into his back pocket and handing them over without any compliant. Hakuba pushed past her to find another room that had clothing to use.

Ran felt something, not necessarily painful, but heavy, as she made a decision. "Stay. Let them take you to a hospital. I won't tell anyone who you are."

Kid turned to her with a smile and a laugh, two things that were made to go hand-in-hand with the thief. "Thank you for the offer, but I'm not staying. I'll be able to get help on my own."

"I won't tell anyone either." Hakuba's voice beside her made Ran jump. "She'll never have to know. As long as Ran-san and I don't reveal anything, you could pretend you were here as a fan. She'll believe it and so will they."

Ran didn't know what Hakuba was talking about. Who was _she_? It must have meant something to Kid because he took the brim of the cap and stared at nothing as he thought. A smile less than a minute later told Ran what the answer was.

"I don't know what you're talking about Hakuba-san. I need no assistance from the two of you. Worry about your own safety. We're on a schedule right now and I have to get to work before the police officers decide to jump the gun before everything's ready."

"You never did tell me what you were planning to do."

"And why should I?" Kid stood up, all perfection and confidence, as the bruising was hidden by the shadows on his face. "You won't be needed."

"What do you mean?"

The man moved and all three of them jumped, Kid falling back several feet since he was still close to him. Other than the shift and a sniffled moan, there was not further movement.

"Let's discuss this outside." Kid put a hand on her shoulder, forcing Ran out of the room and closing the door. Hakuba backed up and stood with his arms folded in front of his chest.

"Okay fine. Now what are you planning while you expect me to sit back and watch?"

"The police will be able to find the men that are hiding in the surrounding property. That will stir up the men in the house. Since they don't have their leader, they'll go looking for him. We obviously can't let things get that far. During the time their looking, the commotion outside will draw their attention and rile them out. Fear makes people do stupid things. I wouldn't put it past them to start firing into the crowd."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Ran asked. Conan couldn't be hurt. Her father, her friends, no one. There had to be some way to stop this.

"You two can't do anything but get in my way. I'll draw their attention from everyone, further into the house. They won't be stupid enough to go outside. Most of them will leave the room, maybe half. I can have them running in circles in the back of the house. I'll get the rest of them after."

"You think you can have that many people clueless to what you're attempting? Don't be a fool."

"Even if there was another way, there's nothing either of you could do that I couldn't pull off better." Kid couldn't keep his act up for long periods of time. He stuck his hand out on the wall as Ran saw him sway. "Seeing either of you when you were supposed to be with their boss will worry them even more. I have anonymity."

"You're pretty distinguishable right now."

No flash or smoke, just a sudden movement of his hand as if to remove the cap and his outfit changed from careless teenager to the unmistakable white of the lawless crook that he was. The monocle on his right eye hide the damage done earlier and for the entire world he looked ready to take on anything.

"Nice disguise," Hakuba murmured under his breath. Ran was confused because he'd make it sound like Kid had just disguised himself instead of changed out of one. The teen that he had been before was the lie, wasn't it?

"It doesn't matter much what you think, Hakuba-san, they'll follow me and they won't follow you. I'm going to do what I can, while I can." Kid dropped his hand from the brim of his hat and walked off towards where the rest of the household was being held. Ran followed after him. She wasn't sure why and she knew that it was the wrong thing to do, but that didn't stop her from putting one foot in front of the other. Hakuba was next to her, both of them less than five feet from Kid.

Murmurs were heard down the hall when they got close, Kid not bothering to try and hide himself. Ran didn't let up her pace. The one who stopped was Kid.

"We said we were going with you," Hakuba whispered fiercely to him. Ran watched as Kid turned back to them, no smile but visible eye clear.

"You can. I can- I know how to fix this" Kid backed up, forcing both of the way they had come. "Go hide. I'll be back. Don't worry, I need the both of you."

"Well... good." Ran took the handle of the door closest to them and stepped inside. The knob told her where she was before she had a chance to look around. It was the bathroom she'd first been in. "We'll wait then, but you'd better come back." She had to make sure everyone was okay. Kid was her only way of making that possible.

"I will, promise." Once they were both in, he closed the door. Ran sat down on the toilet and Hakuba tried to open it to watch what was going on.

"It won't work, the knobs broken."

"What?" Hakuba turned back to her. "So Kid just locked us in a bathroom?"

"No." Ran had made the decision to go in there. "He can open the door easily, and it stops anyone from finding us before he comes back."

"Fine." Hakuba let go of the handle. "This is some mess. I finally come back from England and the world decides to go to Hell around me. Perfect."

"First time, huh?" Ran smiled. She couldn't say she'd been in worse, but the world seemed to fall apart around her whenever it was given the chance. Killers, terrorists, the lot. She let out a small laugh thinking about it. The only difference was that Conan had been in the thick of things. Now, hopefully, he was safe. That thought gave her some comfort.

"Sounds like your no stranger to this type of situation. I wondered how you were taking it so calmly. I can't say I find having a gun shoved at my head enjoyable, and for me at least, it was a first." Hakuba went up close to her and leaned against the wall at her side. "For the greenhorn of the group, I have to say I think I've kept myself as profession as could be expected."

"It's not something you get used to. I think it gets harder as you go on, not easier."

Hakuba was staring down at her. Ran met his gaze. She knew what she was talking about. Every time someone's life was in danger, someone was kidnapped, someone was murdered- it was harder and harder to face it. She felt like a stone that was being slowly warn away by the ocean that never stopped pushing. His lighter eyes stared into hers and Ran wished she had the right words to explain the trials with, but there weren't any. It was something that had to be experienced.

"Forgive me. I made light of the situation and it wasn't the time or place in which to do so. It's so easy for me to forget these things when he's around."

"It's okay. So, how'd you know he was Kid?"

"Ah- It's... difficult to explain." Hakuba left it at that and she didn't pry.

"What can you talk about then? I don't feel like sitting here and hearing whatever out there for me to pick up on. What about that girl you were with, who was she?"

"A classmate." The blond smiled at that. It was lighthearted thing that made her forget about where they were for a moment. "I would like to say that I'm fond of her, really, but there are- complications. My priorities are one of them. I should never have brought her here. I didn't know that this would happen, but- the responsibility still lies with me. It was my decision and a foolish one at that."

"If you like her that much, tell her. It can't be that hard." She thought traitorously of how close she'd come to telling Shinichi, had thought she had told him at one point, but she didn't. It wasn't as if she didn't want to. Shinichi always had a way of distracting her. When she had gotten up the courage, she'd lost it quickly just upon hearing his voice. She didn't want to lose what she already had with him. If things changed, even if he said he loved her as well, it may be different, and she may not like different. Ran cleared her throat. "Or don't tell her. You didn't know any of this was going to happen. If you did, you wouldn't have brought her, right? So it's not your fault and I'm sure she doesn't blame you."

"No, she's not one to condemn others."

Noises at the door came, breaking apart the world they had made together and bringing them back to reality. Kid slid in, all white and obvious before closing the door behind him slowly.

"Get in the bathtub for a minute or two," Kid told them as he turned around, something black wadded up in his arms.

"Do what?" Hakuba stared at the bathtub fixture. It was an Americanized type that Ran wasn't familiar with. There were three glass panels standing out from the wall, frosted over like ice that made it impossible to see more than a blur of color out of them. "Why in the world do you want me to go in there?"

"Because I have to change. If I don't take my time and get this right- let's just say that being in the shower will be the least of your worries." Kid put the clothes down, taking off his coat and ties. "I'm serious, get in there."

"I already-"

"Hakuba!" Kid growled.

Kid and the blond stared at one another, not moving. Ran didn't think it was that big of a deal. She opened the door and stepped inside, careful of her socks on the slick floor.

"Come on, it's not like it's wet."

"Fine."

Kid waited until they were both inside and the door was closed before taking off anything more. Ran had seen that his blue shirt was stained. The bandages couldn't be doing much good.

"You are going to change them, right?"

"Yes" came Kid's voice, but it was hushed. "Be quiet. This room echos."

Ran shut up, turning to face Hakuba. She didn't understand why he looked so uncomfortable. The shower stall was large and they were a good foot away from each other. He was on the trail of her thinking and explained himself.

"It's not something I expected. It only feels strange, there's nothing wrong with it." The blond turned to her. He wasn't smiling anymore. Looking back, the only time he had was when he was talking about the other girl.

"Okay, you can come out. Don't get too excited."

"What is there to get ex-"

They both froze where they were with the door partially opened. The man who had tried to kill them was standing there, watching them.

"Again, don't get excited."

"That's brilliant," Hakuba said, taking the steps necessary to get him out. "I didn't even think about it at the time. We can go back in as if nothing happened."

"For a few minutes, Hakuba-san. I hit him with another dose of gas, but it won't be very affective. I can keep everyone safe this way but it, by no means, lets me get them out the door and to safety."

Kid's voice came from the man. Ran stepped closer, eyeing the dark trench coat. She didn't know how Kid gave himself the inches he needed to make himself taller but she was too amazed to think on it.

"You're really good."

The man smiled but with Kid behind the skin, he somehow made it gentle. "Thank you."

"Let's get back then, before they get suspicious."

Kid held out his hand. "Gun first."

"Oh, right." Hakuba handed it over. Besides when they'd tied up the man, he'd been holding onto it almost like a safety net. Kid pointed it at the floor and tipped his head towards the door.

"Don't smile, don't laugh, don't tell anyone that they look like a baboon's butt, and we'll be good."

"As if I would." Hakuba paused at the door, trying the handle before remembering it was broken. "Hurry up and open it."

"Someone's bossy." Kid slipped something from his side pocket into the gap and it opened. "After you."

Hakuba left, glaring at Kid in a way Ran hadn't seen from him before. She walked out next and Kid grabbed her arm.

"You're supposed to be scared, Mouri-san. If anything, try and pull of worried or upset."

"How?"

Hakuba came back to her. "Keep your eyes open for as long as you can, like you do in a staring contest. It should make you tear up. The rest, I'm afraid, takes work."

Ran waited but it was easier than she thought to get her eyes to water up. She nodded to the both of them, folding her hands in front of her and looking down. "How's that."

"It'll be fine." Kid pushed them ahead. "Now hurry up before we run out of time."

Reentering the room was nothing like it had been the first time. Worried glances still came there way, but she wasn't sacred. As hard as she was trying to pretend she was, she couldn't. That didn't mean she wasn't nervous so she used that to her advantage.

"Boss, what are you doing? I thought you were taking care of them?" One of the men ran up to Kid, forcing them all to stop.

"I was going too but I learned something interesting when I made the call. This brat here has a lot of money. His family is willing to pay as much as we want to get him back. The girl's father is also famous. I'm sure we can get whatever else we could need out of him."

This seemed like a great idea to the lackey, who nodded enthusiastically before returning to his post.

"Ran..." Sonoko had tears in her eyes when Ran caught sight of her. Hakuba grabbed her arm before she could move, fingers pressed hard against her wrist. Kid noticed the movement.

"Go sit down and wait. I don't want to kill you before I get my money but that doesn't mean I won't." The voice, the tone, everything made Ran freeze up. Knowing that there was no real danger behind the words only came to her after and she was grateful. Kid was making it easier to act.

Ran nodded, heading for her spot from earlier. Hakuba started to move when Kid grabbed the back of his shirt. "I didn't say you could go anywhere!" Ran stopped. The gun was pressed against Hakuba's back and the teen looked scared. His expression changed for a moment, but only Ran and Kid caught it.

"You heard the boss! Sit down!" Ran jumped as one of the men close to her yelled. She walked away from Kid and Hakuba, feeling her hands shake when she was startled.

"Ran, are you okay?" Sonoko grabbed onto her sleeve tightly, scanning to her make sure she was in one piece.

"I'm fine."

"He didn't do anything to you, did he?"

"No, I'm fine. Don't worry." Ran put her hand on top of Sonoko's and they smiled at one another. Conan quickly made his presence known, coming up behind her friend, eyes searching more thoroughly than Sonoko's.

"Ran-neechan..."

"Don't worry Conan-kun, there's not a scratch on me." Ran held out her arms and picked up the young boy into her lap, wrapping him as close to her as she could without hurting him. "I'm so glad you did get into any trouble. I was afraid I'd come back and-" She didn't finish the though.

"I wouldn't do that Ran-neechan. I won't die."

The words sounded strange coming from a child, but that's how Conan was. Her little Shinichi. "I won't die either. Don't worry about me. I have to wait for Shinichi after all. I can't die yet." Her voice went quiet. She felt much better after knowing Conan was safe. He'd been in so many dangerous situations that she couldn't get him out of, and, as strange as it sounded to her now, Kid was always the one who had helped them out when those situations sprang up. He must have had a soft spot for Conan, like she did, making her feel more relaxed knowing that Kid was the one in control now. "Listen to me. Don't do anything. Kid's helping us and the police should be here soon."

"Where is he? And where are the police?" Conan's voice had taken on the monotone that made him sound older, more like her childhood friend, than the little boy he was.

"Kid's the man." Ran didn't move but she knew Conan would understand. "The police should be somewhere outside." Ran felt him nod into her shirt, pulling away from her with a serious expression. "Conan-kun, I don't want you doing anything." She brushed against the bruise across the left side of his face, seeing him close one of his eyes and wince. "Don't get yourself hurt anymore."

"I won't." Conan smiled at her, and for the first time Shinichi wasn't the one she thought he resembled. He looked just like Kid. The moment passed quickly and Ran let him go. Conan gave her a curious glance but she didn't tell him where her thoughts had gone.

"What do you want with us?! I thought you wanted that stupid, idiot thief?! Can't you tell he-" The girl from earlier was silence by the Inspector. Ran had no doubt that the man must have been her father. He had a hand over her mouth and his other one wrapped around her and resting on her shoulder.

"I'll use you for whatever purposes I want and you'll sit there and shut up!" Kid shouted across the room at her. Ran wondered briefly if the girl would end up giving them away. Kid could threaten all he wanted, but he wasn't going to hurt any of them- at least, Ran didn't think he would.

Hakuba seemed ready to say something but he stopped himself, masking a glare at Kid as a way to look around the room. Ran thought of what a good idea that was. She took in the faces of all the armed men around her. There were seven of them, not including Kid. Three were near her, spread out in an arch, and the other three were in the same position on the other side of the room. Kid was in front of the hallway and there was a man across from him who was blocking the door. Ran knew that way led into the main room, where there were lamps and items that could be used as weapons. It was probably why they were kept in, what appeared to be, the lobby. After the main room was freedom. They would only need to run through two set of doors to get out of the house and be safe with the police.

"Let me go!" The girl fought against her dad. "This isn't fair!"

The Inspector was speaking quietly to her, trying to keep her under control. He didn't want to force his daughter into anything, but she was putting her life at risk. She shoved his hand away from her and got up before he could grab her. No one tried to stop her from walking up to Kid, afraid that he'd kill them in retaliation. Ran made a move to get up but Sonoko's grip on her sleeve kept her down.

"Aoko-kun, don't..." Hakuba shot a glance back at Kid. The thief wasn't veiling his fear. Until the girl was in front of him, Kid couldn't find a way around the new developments. When she stopped, with just a few feet separating them, he pushed Hakuba out of the way and grinned at her. Ran couldn't tell how someone so nice could pull it off.

"So, you think standing up to me is going to make any difference? Getting you killed faster is all it will do."

"You're going to kill us anyway! We all know it!"

Kid grabbed her by the collar of her shirt, pulling her in close to him and leaving the wicked smile in place while he whispered something into her ear. The girl's- Hakuba had called Aoko- frown disappeared. She suddenly played the part of a deer in the headlights. Kid whispered something else that had Aoko frowning again, trying to pry him off her clothes.

"Now sit down and be a good girl, or you'll force me to do something I really don't want to do." Kid let her go, dismissing her. Ran turned to Sonoko.

"I'm going to bring her by us. I don't want her to get into anymore trouble."

"But Ran, he'll kill you!" Sonoko was worried but Ran couldn't tell her that the man was no danger to them. Being close to the wall meant she was close to one of the gunman. She didn't want to ruin their plan, as flimsy as it already was. Ran shook her hand and Sonoko let her go. Standing, she walked slowly up to them and grabbed Aoko's wrist, dragging her back to her spot.

"You jerk!" The girl screamed once more. Ran winced, pulling the girl up beside her and making her sit down.

"Shhh. You shouldn't do that. You're going to get put us all in danger." Ran let her go and the girl folded her arms in front of her chest. The other girl was angry, focusing cobalt eyes on her, seeing as they didn't know each other and Ran had just forced her across the room.

"I don't care!"

"You should care. Please. I know we don't know each other, but I was talking with Hakuba-kun. The police are nearby and we're trying to get everyone out, so could you calm down?"

The girl relaxed her arms, eyes softening at her words. "They're coming? We're really going to get out of here?"

Ran put a finger up to her lips. Sonoko caught it as well and she saw her friend beam at her. One of the male house servants over heard.

"The police are coming?!"

Ran closed her eyes tightly. The man had done what she feared and spoken loud enough for the room to hear. Anything could happen now and the next actions from the people in the room would tell whether it was for better or worse.

"Don't worry." Hakuba was there, speaking with her. He took Aoko's wrist and nodded to Ran. "We're getting out of here. Now."

"Boss, what's going on?" Several of the men around the room had already broke formation and turned to Kid. The thief chuckled darkly, staring up at the men.

"Now boys, we all leave before the police outside catch us. I'm sure you don't want to be thrown in jail anymore than I do."

"But the plan-"

"Has changed." Kid tore off the coat and any thoughts Ran had of things ending the easy way. "Your boss is gone. If you don't want to be next, I'd advise you to flee while you can."

Seven heavily alarmed men raised their guns at the thief. Two of them hesitated. Kid's words spread through their mind like wild fire. _Your boss is gone._ Ran watched as the closest man to the hallway kept the gun level until the last second when he made a beeline for the back of house. Several of his companions were swayed by the desertion. Kid, if anything, was good at stirring up trouble.

"So, only one of you ran away. Smart. The rest of you, well- You're in a room full of police officers that you've been threatening for the better part of two hours. I'm sure they and their fellow officers will have something to say about that. And let's not forget," Kid reached into his jacket and pulled out a gun that she'd only seen once, less than a month ago on the zeppelin. "I have something to say about it as well."

Several cards were aimed in her direction as Kid fired at the people near her first. The thief followed their path, making for the window. Chaos ensued after that, several police officers jumping the assailants. A few rounds were shot off but Ran didn't think anyone had gotten hurt. The noise caused more confusion and terror. Soon people were running around the room, hostages and aggressors alike in a rush to get out. Kid paused before leaving, pushing past several people and getting knocked around before he made it to their group who were huddled where they stood.

"Come on Hakuba-san, can't you even get out on your own?"

All Ran could hear was noise but Kid's voice managed to cut through it, like magic.

"I'm trying." Someone elbowed Hakuba in the side and she didn't mind when it knocked him into her, though Ran felt a blush on her face. Aoko was between them, trying to search the crowd.

"I can't leave without my dad!" The girl stomped her foot down and refused to move.

"Come on. Your dad will be fine. Mine-" _Conan._ Ran stopped arguing. She couldn't leave him. There were so many people and he was so small. It would be so easy for him to be killed in the pandemonium.

"I've got the kid." The thief disappeared without her even having to ask. Hakuba watched, but the white was quickly lost in the mob of bodies.

"Aoko-kun, we have to get out. Your father knows how to take care of himself. Staying in here to find him will only make him worry if he's gotten out first and is waiting for you. If he's still in the room, it's because he's staying here to take care of whatever men they managed to catch. We'll be interfering."

"I don't care. I need to find him!"

Ran put a hand on the girl's shoulders, meeting her eyes again. "Come on. It will be fine. My dad's in there somewhere too. If we stay, we'll get hurt. I don't think they'd want that."

Aoko's shoulders sagged but she let Hakuba take her along. Ran led the group, trying to push people as best she could in the direction she knew the door was. Keeping everyone in such a small room may have made it easier for them to be watched, but evacuating was a nightmare.

"Kid! I'm not letting you get away with this!"

The voice made the blood rush out of her. Hakuba even stopped in escaping as he turned to try and find where the man was. The leader escaped. He was somewhere in the crowd.

The next thing she knew, something exploded. The mass of screaming bodies turned into a wave and Ran felt as she was shoved away from the other two. Hakuba tried to get back to her, but noise and sound and terror only pushed them farther apart. Ran was shoved every which way until she wasn't sure where the exit was anymore. She was scared. Smoke was filling the room, making it impossible for her to see. The flood of people was fading, but the fumes filling the air made it hard for her to breath and even harder to think. Several times she found the wall, losing it when someone would run past her. It felt like minutes had passed and still she found no doorway.

She was so tired. _I'll just let myself rest for a minute,_ she thought as she used the wall to sit on the ground and away from the worst of the smoke. Just a minute or two.

Though the air was full of fumes, there wasn't much heat. Ran sat there, enjoying it and letting herself relax after all that trouble. Every breath made her noise itch but it was easy to ignore when her eyelids felt so heavy and her brain was already shutting down.

"Ran!" The voice. The new voice. It wasn't the old voice. The old voice wasn't here. The old voice would never be back again. The new voice wasn't bad though. The new voice was safe and kind and magic. "Ran!"

She couldn't acknowledge him. Moving was too difficult and her body felt weighed down. Someone found her. It wasn't Shinichi. She knew it wouldn't be him. But Kid wasn't an unwelcome sight.

"Hey!" He shook her by the shoulders. "Don't fall asleep!" He coughed and Ran thought she heard a laugh. "I'm in no condition for this. Here," Kid brought one of her arms around his neck. "Try and hang on. Whatever you do, don't fall asleep."

She nodded but she wasn't sure what she was agreeing to. Everything was fuzzy around the edges.

"Damn it, where's that window?" Kid was practically carrying her. Ran couldn't coordinate her feet correctly to follow his lead. More time in the blurry world had her distorting time, when they seemed to come to the sought-out window only seconds later. Kid tried to hold her so that he could kick it out, but quickly discovered that doing so would throw them off balance. He swore under his breath and took his elbow before smashing the window. It didn't shatter, but the cracks were big enough that, one more hit, and they were falling apart. Kid took the larger shards that clung to the frame and threw them inside the smoke-filled room. The wind tried to fight back against the black clouds as they were escaping out of the gap.

"Here," Kid placed her hands around his neck and grabbed one of her legs. "Hold on for a second so I can get us out of here." He jumped. Ran felt like she was flying for a moment. He trip himself up on the frame and they both fell out of the house coughing.

"Well, not perfect but that works." Kid turned to her. "Ran, are you okay?"

The world was clearing around her, but her thoughts from earlier had not faded. The new voice wasn't so bad. "Shinichi." She grabbed onto the front of his coat and laid there in the grass with him. She didn't know if anyone was around to watch what she was doing, but she didn't care.

"No." Kid's voice was firm. He knew where he had to press to get her to let go of him. "I'm not who you've been waiting for. Ran, you can't give up. Believe me, even if it takes an eternity, Kudo-kun cares about you. Don't give up this easily."

Ran could feel the tears making it down her face that was covered with soot. A soft, cool hand wiped them away.

"Don't worry. I know its hard. Whatever you do though, whether you decide to find someone else or not, don't replace Kudo. If someone else comes along that you love, it won't be a replacement, it will be something new and completely different. I'm just a ghost. Don't go looking for shadows of what you had."

He helped her sit up and she looked at Kid. He was dirty and there was blood on his shirt again. The bruises on his face and neck were darkening as they aged. He shouldn't have been the one comforting her.

Shinichi. No. There would never be another Shinichi. She would never replace him. To wait was a burden she wasn't sure she could bare, but for the time being, it was hers.

"Thank you," Ran's voice same out in a whisper after all the smoke. "For saving me and Conan-"

"He's fine," Kid reassured her. "I made sure he got out first. When you didn't follow, I had to stop him from rushing back in to find you. Everyone's gathering by the officers from division one in front of the building. Can you make it there?"

Ran nodded, watching Kid get up and walk away. "I'll see you around, Mouri-san."

She stood, using the building for leverage. Yes, she would most likely see him again, but not like this. She knew so much about him, but she wouldn't do anything about it. This was part of the way she could repay her debt to him, though it wasn't nearly as much as he deserved.

"Ran-san!" Hakuba came around the side of the building, holding out his hand that she accepted with thanks. "Where's Kid?"

"He left." Ran didn't bother glancing over her shoulder. She knew he was gone. "Tell me, is he a good guy, or a bad guy?"

"Hm." Hakuba led her away, back to her normal life. "It's hard to say. He saves lives and breaks the law at his leisure. If had had to label him, vigilante would be the closest I could get."

"So the world's greatest criminal takes on the job of the super heroes in comic books." Ran laughed. "I guess that sounds right."

"Hakuba-kun?" Aoko popped her head around the corner of the building. "I was wondering where you went. Hurry up, the buildings on fire and my dad was worried about you." The girl ran off, seeming satisfied that she had found him in one piece.

"Why don't you tell her?" Ran asked, seeing Hakuba staring after her as Aoko ran to hug her father in the large group a people they encountered when they followed her around the corner.

"Because there's an obstacle in the way that I'm not sure I can get through."

"What?"

"Him." Hakuba stared behind them where the person who had unintentionally started this whole mess had left, without anybody knowing he was gone. Ran couldn't help smiling.

"That's one big obstacle."

"Ran-neechan." Conan ran over to her, his eyes behind the glasses tormented. "Are you okay? Does anything hurt? Did you breathe in the smoke?"

Ran held in the cough that was bothering her lungs. Maybe waiting wasn't as hard as she thought. She had Conan. He may not have been Shinichi, but he cared for her. She had seen the boy risk his life for her which was more than she ever wanted from him. Selfish. She was being selfish. And if she was, maybe she'd let Shinichi get away with being selfish for a while too.

"I'm fine, Conan-kun." Fine with waiting. Fine with her life and the people in it. Fine with knowing that she loved someone who could never be replaced. "Just fine."


End file.
